Sweetland Retreat

Monday, February 21, 2011

We had a great time at the opening reception of the Spindleworks exhibit at the Harlow Gallery! We may have gone overboard with the amount of food but it there's one thing that we know about, besides art, it's food!

And there was a really great turnout for the exhibit; some very friendly new faces, too. And some of the artists were able to make it down and brighten up the evening even more!

The show is open through Saturday February 26th and the Harlow Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12-6pm. 16- Water St in Hallowell.

Exhibition on View: February 16-26, 2011 – free and open to the public

In February the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell will present Mosaic, an exhibition featuring work by the artists of Spindleworks. Located in Brunswick, Maine, Spindleworks is an art center providing studio and gallery space to 41 artists. The program is one of many arms of Independence Association, an agency whose mission is to assist children and adults with disabilities in achieving full and inclusive lives in their chosen community.Harlow Gallery, 160 Water St, Hallowell, ME

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Here's another Sneak Peak installment for the Mosaic: Spindleworks at the Harlow Gallery exhibition opening next week! I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I do. Come to the opening reception and find me (Jamie) - I'd love to hear what pieces strike you the most. And hopefully you'll go home with some fabulous artwork, too.

Kelly Weingart: Data Android 1

Various Artists: Rugs

Anna McDougal: Beets

Various Artists: Scarves

Betty Carter: Embroidered Pillow

Mitch Pfeifle: Knight

Lloyd Whitcomb: Dog

Sam Eberhart: Joker, Joker, Catwoman

Opening Date: Friday, February 18, 5-8 pm – Free and open to the public

Exhibition sponsored by us at Sweetland Retreat!We will also be providing the refreshments at the opening reception so come on by!

Exhibition on View: February 16-26, 2011 – free and open to the public

In February the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell will present Mosaic, an exhibition featuring work by the artists of Spindleworks. Located in Brunswick, Maine, Spindleworks is an art center providing studio and gallery space to 41 artists. The program is one of many arms of Independence Association, an agency whose mission is to assist children and adults with disabilities in achieving full and inclusive lives in their chosen community.Harlow Gallery, 160 Water St, Hallowell, ME

Sunday, January 30, 2011

I wasn't exaggerating when I said the work in the upcoming Mosaic: Spindleworks at the Harlow Gallery exhibit was inspiring and fantastic. Every time I look at these pieces I just wish it were me that had made them! Well, here's a sneak peek-- more to come! Keep your eye out.

Emilie Williams: Shawl & Placemats

Diane Black & Minton Warren: Woven Doorstops

Emma Becker: Azaleas

Thomas Ridlon: Colonial

Kelly Weingart: Pez People

Terri Snape: Landscape on Map

Earl Black: Playful Cupboard

Angela Alderete: Alan Jackson

Opening Date: Friday, February 18, 5-8 pm – Free and open to the publicOpening sponsored by us at Sweetland Retreat

Exhibition on View: February 16-26, 2011 – free and open to the public

In February the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell will present Mosaic, an exhibition featuring work by the artists of Spindleworks. Located in Brunswick, Maine, Spindleworks is an art center providing studio and gallery space to 41 artists. The program is one of many arms of Independence Association, an agency whose mission is to assist children and adults with disabilities in achieving full and inclusive lives in their chosen community.Harlow Gallery, 160 Water St, Hallowell, ME

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I had the extreme pleasure of visiting Spindleworks in Brunswick, ME to curate artwork for their upcoming exhibition at the Harlow Gallery. Sweetland Retreat will be providing the refreshments at the opening reception for the exhibition, entitled "Mosaic" on February 18th from 5-8pm. Here's a quick tour of their fabulous space that would make me happy to create in any day of the week!

Above is their Spindleworks Store -- this alone would overwhelm you with amazing items to choose from. From paintings to poetry books, sculpture to t-shirts, woven shawls to pottery-- you can find anything here.

But the display doesn't end there...in fact, it's all over their studio! Just about everything on the walls is available for purchase.

The work is so striking and the work of the 40+ artists of Spindleworks blend so nicely together.

My favorite room is the weaving/fiber arts studio above. The amount of looms under that great timber roof makes me want to learn to weave.

There are also a couple of rooms on the 2nd floor with looms for a more private workspace. The artists transform these pieces into vibrant table runners, rugs, shawls, balsam fir sachets, and more.

Brian says that the layout at Spindleworks is as if we took our house and had a studio in every single room-- he's right! (And what a dream that would be!)

We sifted through bins and storage areas filled with inspiring art. It was hard to choose what we did even though we wound up selecting a large amount of work. I just wanted to take them all!They also have a new wood working shop that I would love to create in-- but that seems to be the theme to every room. I just wanted to create!

Here's what I had put aside at the very beginning of getting there-- the pile grew exponentially. I'll do some sneak peak posts as we get closer to the opening. There are so many exquisite pieces that you'll need to come to the exhibition and see them all (and hopefully take a few pieces home with you!)

Opening Date: Friday, February 18, 5-8 pm – Free and open to the public

Exhibition on View: February 16-26, 2011 – free and open to the public

In February the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell will present Mosaic, an exhibition featuring work by the artists of Spindleworks. Located in Brunswick, Maine, Spindleworks is an art center providing studio and gallery space to 41 artists. The program is one of many arms of Independence Association, an agency whose mission is to assist children and adults with disabilities in achieving full and inclusive lives in their chosen community.Harlow Gallery, 160 Water St, Hallowell, ME

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Let's chat a second about cheese. It is a delicious creation which, I can only assume, was sent down straight from the heavens. Add in some pimientos and now we're talking about a delight sent down from a heaven full of rock stars. You know, the ones that you wish you could party with. Well, that's how I felt the first time I had pimiento cheese.

I was living in the sunny south in Charleston, South Carolina. I remember going to a little cafe in some small town in the "upstate" and seeing grilled pimento cheese sandwich on the menu. Well, now they had my attention. I ordered it wondering what it would be like and when it arrived I realized that I had made one of the best discoveries of my lifetime. Classically served between two slices of white bread, grilled to perfection, and a sweet tea on the side: Rock Star Heaven.

So I began asking local friends for recipes and did some of my own tweaking and came up with this super simple recipe that anyone can make. Have at it! Try it on a sandwich, with crackers, pretzels, or on top of a burger. And I'll tell ya, this recipe is highly adored by my favorite blogger at 145 Crazy Road!

Ingredients:

2 cups of shredded Sharp Cheddar

4oz jar of Sliced Pimientos

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

Salt & Pepper to taste

Tools:

Small Food Processor

Spatula

Let's talk EASY recipe: Put all of the ingredients into the food process (include the liquid from the pimiento jar) and whip it up until the ingredients are all blended together well. Place in the refrigerator overnight and it will thicken up when it sets.

And there you are! An easy and delicious item that can be used for lunch sandwiches, potluck dip, burger toppings, and so much more. Some other variations include adding garlic, pickles, and other ingredients. I find that this recipe is super simple and always a huge hit! Enjoy!

About the author: Joy Ribisi is part-owner of Sweetland Retreat. Having traded in her sunny summer-all-the-time-beach-cruiser-flip-flopping-Southern-living ways for the quiet farm life of New-England-log-splitting-snow-shoveling-earth-digging-lake-swimming life in Central Maine, some things never change. Like enjoying comfort foods.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Lisa Lancaster, owner of Baked in Maine based in Hallowell, Maine, shares some delicious and mouth-watering recipes on her blog and her facebook page. The recipes are easy to follow with gorgeous photographs. If you're not the baking type or simply don't have time then visit her Etsy shop and purchase your favorite baked goods made fresh for your order. There you'll find everything from Red Velvet Whoopie Pies to Italian Amaretto Biscotti and more. And don't forget to follow her on Twitter!

Today she shares with us her recipe for Whole Grain Gingerbread Cookies just in time for the holidays! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 lb unsalted butter or Smart Balance

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2/3 cup molasses

Icing:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon of milk

1 teaspoon of corn syrup, to harden it up (optional)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

1/2 teaspoon almond, my fav. (optional)

*1 bag of Red Hot’s, raisins or whatever… (decorations)

Directions:

Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment or cooking spray.

Using your mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and molasses.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients; and add to the mixer with a large spoon, mixing well.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 2 hours.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface (try to use as little flour as possible) to about 1/8″ thick. Using a large cookie cutter (I use a 3 1/2″ gingerbread man), cut out cookies, and place on cookie sheets. Roll out dough scraps and repeat, be careful not to overwork the dough.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown slightly. Remove cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the sheet before carefully removing them to cool on a wire rack before decorating.

Mix up the icing with a whisk (or mixer). Use a pastry bag or a plastic baggie with a tiny tip of the corner snipped off.

Decorate with icing, raisins and Red Hots. Or use whatever you like.

* 1 tablespoon of meringue powder or egg whites will make a firm “Royal Icing”